Current delineator posts have a number of limitations. For example, a conventional delineator post may have single thickness wall, such that the delineator post may collapse at a flexing point when the post is pushed over (either by a person or by a vehicle), with the post then unable to return itself to a vertical orientation. In addition, conventional posts are often constructed of metal, polyethylene or other plastics, which are often incapable of returning to a vertical position without the aid of an ancillary device, such as an inner tube made of the same or similar plastic or a coil spring. This problem is exacerbated when a sign panel is secured to the post.
Moreover, posts constructed with inner tubes often are configured with the inner tube fixed, engaged or fastened in some way to the outer tube or anchor system as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,530. Also, prior art posts made of polyethylene materials are incapable of returning to vertical when substantial weight is added to them, such as sign panels, even with the presence of an inner tube.
In prior art post system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,337, the post is mounted using a horizontal pin, e.g., 5/16 inch diameter. This mounting method is adequate for a single, stand-alone, flexible post and has proven to withstand hundreds of high-speed impacts from a moving vehicle. However, the mounting system may be inadequate when substantial weight is added to the post system, for example by way of sign panels, due to the excess load and accompanying forces experienced during vehicle impacts. One problem is the lack of surface area that the pin makes contact with at the post anchoring area. For example, in one prior art system, the pin only contacts a roughly 0.2 square inch area at the anchor location. Accordingly, the need remains for a more robust, but low cost, sign post system.